India and the UK on Saturday reviewed the progress of negotiations of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), talks for which have reached the final stage. The progress was reviewed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch in Osaka, Japan. Both ministers are in Japan for the Group of Seven (G7) trade ministers meeting in Osaka. Discussed the progress of India-UK free trade agreement negotiations with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch, Goyal said on social media platform X. Negotiations between senior officials of India and the UK are on to bridge differences on issues such as rules of origin and services sector, with an aim to conclude the talks for the proposed FTA at the earliest. India and Britain launched the talks for a trade agreement in January 2022, with an aim to conclude them by Diwali last year (October 24, 2022), but the deadline was missed due to political developments in th
India and the UK have made good progress in closing chapters and the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are now laser-focussed on goods, services and investment, UK officials said on Wednesday ahead of Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch's visit to India to attend the G20 summit. After the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur, which is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Badenoch is expected to head to New Delhi for bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Their discussions will coincide with the ongoing twelfth round of FTA negotiations that are underway in Delhi since last week. The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides. We've made good progress in closing chapters, and are now laser-focused on goods, services, and investment, said a UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) spokesperson. While we cannot comment on ongoing negotiations, we are clear that we
Striking a trade accord is critical for India's ambition to become a manufacturing powerhouse, while the UK is seeking to clinch new deals to highlight the benefits of Brexit
Chivas Brothers, a leading manufacturer of Scotch whiskey, expects the proposed free trade agreement between the UK and India would provide a "fair level playing field" on customs duties for liquor companies, its Chairman and CEO Jean Etienne Gourgues said. He also said that the proposed agreement may also help increase investments and promote domestic manufacturing of premium liquor in India. The two countries have been negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) since January 2021 and senior officials of both sides concluded the 11th round of negotiations. Currently, Scotch whiskey, imported from the UK - both in bottled and bulk - is taxed at around 150 per cent in India, however, if the pact between the two governments is signed, then it would provide liberalisation in tariff and will be a 'win-win' for both India and the UK, he added. Our expectation is a fair level playing field between India and the UK. When we export scotch whisky to India, we pay a very high tax of over 150
India and the UK are working to iron out differences on issues like intellectual property rights (IPRs) and rules of origin under the free trade agreement being negotiated by the two countries, a top government official said on Friday. The 11th round of talks is underway in the UK for the agreement. Negotiations for the trade agreement started in January 2021. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that out of 26 chapters in the agreement, 14 have been closed. In five chapters there are certain important contentious issues pertaining to environment, labour, and digital trade. This agreement is the "most complex" one which will be going to be signed by India, he told reporters here. "UK will be the first with which we are going to have a comprehensive FTA which we have not signed with any other developed country as such," he added. There are some differences with respect to IPR and rules of origin (ROO). "In services also, there are few issues...So we are working on those issues.
UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch arrives in New Delhi on Monday to kickstart the sixth round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and hold bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal. The new round marks the first formal meeting between the India-UK negotiating teams since July and the first since Rishi Sunak took charge as British Prime Minister. His Trade Secretary will address both teams of senior negotiators ahead of the sixth round of formal negotiations, scheduled to take place throughout the week. I'm here in New Delhi to kickstart round six of UK-India trade negotiations and meet my counterpart (Commerce and Industry) Minister Goyal in person to drive progress on this agreement, said Badenoch. Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal. I'm excited about the opportunities we can create for British business, she said. India and the UK are the 5th and 6th bigg
PM Modi and UK PM Boris Johnson on Friday pushed for closing the negotiations for a free trade agreement by the end of the year, and agreed on a expanded bilateral defence and security partnership.
India likely to kick start talks for FTAs with UK and EU by 2021-end, is also focusing on resuming trade talks with Canada, Australia
India and the European Union (EU) on Saturday announced their decision to resume negotiations for a balanced and comprehensive trade agreement after a gap of eight years
He said that after 2013, and completing 16 rounds of talks, the negotiations had not moved further